Most visits to the vet’s office often end with a prescription for antibiotics for your dog. However, this might not always be the best course of action, as antibiotics could exacerbate the problem and pose a threat to your dog’s long-term health.
Are Antibiotics Overprescribed?
Good bacteria, bad bacteria, any bacteria that aren’t resistant to the antibiotic will be killed. Looking at your dog’s microbiome helps understand why this is a problem. The microbiome consists of little communities of microbes throughout your dog’s body, made up of bacteria, fungi and viruses. They live in various parts like ears, skin, mouth, respiratory tract, but mostly in the digestive system. It’s so important that it’s called the ‘forgotten organ’. Your dog’s microbiome plays a key role in nutrition, health and happiness. The majority of the immune system resides in the gut and relies on beneficial bacteria. They produce vitamins, help in hormone production and compete with harmful bacteria. The microbiome protects against pathogens like parvovirus, distemper, yeast, E coli, salmonella, lepto and Lyme. Forms a protective barrier against drugs, toxins, allergens and carcinogens. Affects your dog’s mood and reflects stress, disturbing communication between the brain and the gut which affects critical functions like the immune system. Produces B vitamins for metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins and fats and short-chain fatty acids for the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron and other minerals. It’s a critical part of the immune system with gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) forming 90% of it. Antibiotics kill the friendly bacteria in your dog’s microbiome, leading to long-term illness, disease and perceived allergies. Pro tip: Probiotics like Saccharomyces boulardii and soil based probiotics like Bacillus subtiliis and Bacillus coagulans can help restore your dog’s microbiome if antibiotics have been used. Antibiotics also cause nutrient deficiencies as beneficial bacteria in the microbiome help with digestion and produce enzymes for it. This leads to production of B vitamins including B12 (the only place where B12 is manufactured in the gut). Once food is digested, nutrients move through the intestinal wall into your dog’s bloodstream providing energy support to cells. Antibiotics deplete vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 C, E, K inositol and magnesium, leading to health problems like anemia, diarrhea, behavioral changes, poor wound healing, allergies, weakened immune health, oxidative stress, nerve degeneration, yeast, irritable bowel syndrome and leaky gut. If your dog is vitamin deficient, it could show up as skin issues, lethargy, sickness and disease.
Problems can worsen when additional doses of antibiotics are administered to address issues caused by the initial dose. Feeding your dog a processed diet enriched with synthetic vitamins and minerals can lead to more problems as these nutrients are not as bioavailable as natural ones. That’s why it’s crucial to protect your dog’s vitamin stores.
PRO TIP: You can give your dog an extra boost of vitamins and minerals with whole foods or food-sourced supplements. If you’re considering using antibiotics, think about this. Trying to repair the gut biome after the fact might not be possible. Martin Blaser of New York University’s Langone Medical Center argues that antibiotics’ impact on gut bacteria is permanent. ‘Early evidence from my lab and others hints that, sometimes, our friendly flora never fully recover. These long-term changes to the beneficial bacteria within people’s bodies may even increase our susceptibility to infections and disease. Overuse of antibiotics could be fuelling the dramatic increase in conditions such as obesity, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and asthma, which have more than doubled in many populations.’ Researchers are investigating antibiotics to understand their long-term impact, including on the intestinal flora and the creation of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Maybe it’s a good time to consider natural antibacterial solutions that are kinder to the beneficial bacteria and to your dog. Before giving antibiotics to your dog, ask these questions: What is the diagnosis? Has the suggested antibiotic been successful as a treatment? Is there an alternative to antibiotics? What will happen if antibiotics are not given? What are the side effects and dangers of antibiotic use? It’s important to understand whether the benefits of antibiotics outweigh the risks. If not, find another option and perhaps another vet. A vet with a holistic mindset may have great alternatives to antibiotics. You can visit the Academy of Veterinary Homeopaths for a list of homeopathic vets. Antibiotics often provide short-term benefit but cause long-term damage. This means you could end up with a sicker dog and more problems than you started with. RELATED: 3 ways to clean up antibiotic damage. Reference: Antibiotic resistance in pets an increasing problem. Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Aug 2016.
